Chapter 603: Rescue Plan, Trust in My Daughter

“You? Offer some help?”

Hearing these words from Wei Tu, Hall Master Luo froze at the doorway. He looked Wei Tu up and down, his brows tightening slightly.

Indeed, Wei Tu’s cultivation wasn’t low. He was already at mid Nascent Soul, and in Jishan Sect he could rank among the top thirty.

But with this level of cultivation, taking on Yin Ghost Sect was still far too much.

—Though Yin Ghost Sect’s strength wasn’t as vast as the Donghua Demon Kingdom, it was still a power of the same tier. The sect had at least two late Nascent Soul cultivators, and the number of other Nascent Soul cultivators was even higher.

Going to rescue his daughter alone, even Hall Master Luo himself wasn’t certain he could return safely.

And Wei Tu, just a mid Nascent Soul cultivator—any accident would mean death.

“Fellow Wei, this elder is going to Yin Ghost Sect alone, to prevent Feng Han and the others from stirring up trouble. I won’t mobilize the forces of Jishan Sect… I hope you understand.”

Hall Master Luo paused and gave Wei Tu this warning.

In his eyes, Wei Tu’s “help” was mostly to earn him a favor, for profit.

He didn’t dislike that. After all, the intent to help was still there.

At another time, he would have agreed.

But now was different…

The rescue was too dangerous.

No matter what, he couldn’t let Wei Tu, the one who had brought him his daughter’s whereabouts, throw himself into danger for it.

There was also a bit of selfishness.

If he acted alone, he would be more flexible. If something went wrong, he could at least forcefully escape with Luo Mingzhen.

But if Wei Tu joined…

It might only add another burden.

“Don’t worry. The reminder from Ninth Princess and Fellow Wei, this elder will remember. I will repay it in the future.”

Hall Master Luo, seeing Wei Tu’s insistence, spoke this after a short silence, trying to ease his concerns.

At once, Wei Tu realized Hall Master Luo’s reputation for integrity wasn’t undeserved.

If it had been anyone else, hearing his offer to help, they would have happily accepted. After all, in danger, an extra scapegoat was always useful.

Of course, as an “old cultivator” himself, Wei Tu didn’t blindly trust Hall Master Luo’s character or treat him as a true comrade in arms.

Integrity meant having principles and limits. It didn’t mean they were now allies without reservations.

So he didn’t mention his dual cultivation of body and law, nor that his combat strength far exceeded ordinary cultivators.

Instead, he smiled faintly, reached into his sleeve, and drew out his Soul Refining Banner. With a shake, the black flag released the Five-Element Infant, which had recently advanced to late Nascent Soul.

“I may be unworthy, but with this tool, I can still offer Hall Master Luo some assistance.”

Wei Tu smiled lightly as he spoke.

“A late Nascent Soul variant infant?”

Hall Master Luo was shocked. For a mid Nascent Soul cultivator to obtain a variant Nascent Soul stronger than his own realm was no easy feat.

With this weapon, even if Wei Tu couldn’t defeat a late Nascent Soul opponent, holding out for several hundred moves wouldn’t be hard.

Thinking deeper, Hall Master Luo calmed down.

He had seen how Lüqiu Qingfeng and Wei Tu interacted. Their relationship wasn’t that of monarch and subject, but of equals, almost like partners. Lüqiu Qingfeng even seemed faintly obedient to Wei Tu’s words.

That alone said enough—Wei Tu’s true strength could not be ordinary.

‘Most likely, this youth’s true power isn’t only this Soul Refining Banner. He wouldn’t casually reveal all his trump cards before me.’

Hall Master Luo’s eyes flickered with this thought.

But he didn’t dwell on it. On the contrary, he felt faint gratitude toward Wei Tu’s willingness to help.

Whether Yin Ghost Sect was a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den or not, the fact that Wei Tu was willing to join him was enough.

…

With Hall Master Luo’s agreement, Wei Tu soon departed secretly with him. Together, they used a neighboring sect’s ultra-long-distance teleportation array to travel to the Red Algae Sea and head for Yin Ghost Sect.

Meanwhile, Lüqiu Qingfeng stayed behind in Jishan Sect, tasked with keeping watch on the sect’s other high-ranking members—especially the most suspicious one, the head of the Merit Hall, Feng Han. She had to make sure he didn’t send word that would cause Yin Ghost Sect to kill Luo Mingzhen out of spite.

It wasn’t that Hall Master Luo’s people couldn’t do this job.

But Luo Mingzhen’s disappearance was too tightly linked to the Jishan Sect upper ranks. No one could say if there were spies among his own men.

So to be safe, Lüqiu Qingfeng herself had to oversee the surveillance of Jishan Sect’s leadership.

And of course, she had another reason for choosing to stay…

That was because, as the official envoy, Lüqiu Qingfeng was already under the close watch of Jishan Sect’s upper ranks. If she left for too long now, suspicion would inevitably arise.

Earlier, before she had informed Hall Master Luo, she could have gone to Yin Ghost Sect to rescue Luo Mingzhen without worry. No one would have linked her absence to Luo Mingzhen.

But now, with Hall Master Luo as an added factor, her movements had to appear flawless and beyond suspicion.

“Like the Lüqiu clan, Yin Ghost Sect also has one of the Six Great Dao Sects as its backing. Their patron sect is the You God Sect… So, Fellow Wei, this time when we rescue my daughter, we must end it quickly. If Yin Ghost Sect calls for reinforcements from You God Sect, both our lives will be in great danger.”

Hall Master Luo spoke to Wei Tu as they traveled, carefully explaining the key points of rescuing Luo Mingzhen.

The core idea could be summed up in one phrase—swift and decisive.

Yin Ghost Sect wasn’t a force to be underestimated. Even if their top combat power wasn’t superior to his and Wei Tu’s, in the cultivation world, victory wasn’t determined by individual strength alone.

With the protection of the sect’s guardian formation, even Qi Refinement disciples could lend a hand in encircling intruders.

Normally, unless one had absolute overwhelming strength, no cultivator would directly storm a proper immortal sect.

“Many thanks for the reminder, Hall Master Luo.”

Wei Tu clasped his hands politely, accepting the advice humbly.

He had plenty of combat experience, but that didn’t mean Hall Master Luo’s was any less valuable.

Enforcement elders in the great sects were without exception among the first tier of combat power. Otherwise, they could never suppress their peers or command respect.

The first tier of a Divine Transformation sect’s power was naturally formidable.

Even if not as terrifying as someone like Ding Lezheng, a near Divine Transformation cultivator, Hall Master Luo wouldn’t be far behind.

‘This youth has a good temperament, no wonder he comes from humble roots.’

In their brief interaction, Hall Master Luo’s estimation of Wei Tu rose another level.

Keeping a modest and respectful heart was easy to say but extremely difficult to practice.

Those who became Nascent Soul patriarchs were all elites among cultivators. After reaching this realm, how many could still bow their heads and act with humility like juniors?

Confidence and arrogance—believing that “heaven is first, I am second”—that was the normal state of Nascent Soul elders.

And it wasn’t exactly wrong.

But Nascent Soul wasn’t the end of the Dao. Beyond lay Divine Transformation, Void Refinement, and more.

In the eyes of those higher beings, Nascent Soul cultivators were little different from ants.

From Hall Master Luo’s many years as head of the Enforcement Hall, he knew well: those Nascent Soul cultivators who clung to arrogance rarely lasted long. Some drowned themselves in indulgence and delayed their progress, while others grew lax in training and died in duels.

What he didn’t know was…

Wei Tu’s steady nature was shaped not only by his personality but also by his “Late Bloomer” destiny.

That fate wouldn’t give him meteoric opportunities. Only by cultivating step by step, like a bitter scholar, could he gradually surpass others.

In other words, his golden-purple destiny ensured he could never be a restless or reckless man on his cultivation path.

…

Several days later.

Wei Tu and Hall Master Luo reached the outskirts of Yin Ghost Sect.

But instead of charging in recklessly, the two concealed themselves and waited for the right moment.

Decades ago, Wei Tu and Lüqiu Qingfeng had already prepared a plan to rescue Luo Mingzhen. It had only been abandoned because she turned out not to be “Ancestor Luo.”

Now, restarting it wasn’t difficult.

“Greetings, Honored Envoy.”

The next day, a Yin Ghost Sect disciple in a black robe arrived where they hid, bowing respectfully.

His name was Huang You. He wasn’t one of Wei Tu’s men, but an agent the Lüqiu clan had planted in Yin Ghost Sect years ago. After Lüqiu Qingfeng became heir, she gained control over him.

“What has Venerable Master Xinggu been doing recently?”

Wei Tu, hat brim low, stepped from the shadows. His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked softly.

Xinggu Venerable Master was the Yin Ghost Sect elder who had bought Luo Mingzhen from Ruyi Tower as a Nascent Soul furnace.

Wei Tu had known this for decades, having obtained the information through Lüqiu Qingfeng.

“Venerable Master Xinggu has been in closed cultivation lately, and has not gone out,” Huang You reported truthfully.

As a trusted spy, he also knew Wei Tu’s real concern was with Xinggu’s concubine. After a pause, he added, “Lady Ru has left Xinggu’s cave a few times in recent years, going to see flowers in the sect…”

“But from what I observed, Lady Ru’s condition isn’t good. In another 20 to 30 years, she may well be drained to death by Venerable Master Xinggu, used as nourishment for his breakthrough to late Nascent Soul.”

Lady Ru—that was Luo Mingzhen.

After taking her as a concubine, Xinggu Venerable Master didn’t let her use her Luo surname but instead gave her the title of “Lady Ru.”

“Drained to death!”

As those words fell, Wei Tu clearly sensed that Hall Master Luo’s breathing behind him grew heavier and more rapid.

“Is there a way to get close to Lady Ru?” Wei Tu asked again.

“Approach Mingzhen?” Hall Master Luo frowned slightly, not sure what Wei Tu was getting at. After all, with her cultivation sealed, Luo Mingzhen would be of little use in their rescue attempt.

Trying to approach her might even risk exposing the plan.

Still, he didn’t interrupt Wei Tu. He trusted that Wei Tu wasn’t one to speak aimlessly. On the contrary, Wei Tu was calm and steady, unlike ordinary men.

“Very difficult! Venerable Master Xinggu treats Lady Ru as a forbidden treasure. We disciples are strictly forbidden to go near her,” Huang You shook his head and replied.

“In that case, forget it.”

Wei Tu sighed in disappointment. His original plan was to have Huang You deliver his Barrier-Breaking Treasure Mirror, a priceless treasure that could break prohibitions, into Luo Mingzhen’s hands. She could then use it to shatter her own restrictions and work with them from within.

That mirror might not be enough to break through the grand guardian formation of a Nascent Soul sect like Yin Ghost Sect, but it was more than enough to undo the seal Xinggu Venerable Master had placed within Luo Mingzhen’s body.

“Fellow Wei, were you trying to make contact with my daughter, or is there another purpose?” Hall Master Luo finally spoke when Wei Tu dropped the subject.

Hearing this, Wei Tu didn’t mind. He simply laid out his plan.

Though the Barrier-Breaking Treasure Mirror was rare within the Nascent Soul realm, it wasn’t something Hall Master Luo would covet, so Wei Tu felt no need to conceal it.

“I see. So that was the idea.”

Hall Master Luo nodded in understanding. After a moment’s thought, he taught Wei Tu a bloodline secret art meant for communication between kin.

“This technique is called Blood Echo. As long as the bloodline is the same, it allows transmission of thoughts across a certain distance. But both sides must have cultivated this secret art beforehand.”

While explaining, Hall Master Luo handed Wei Tu a drop of his own essence blood.

“My daughter has a firm and decisive character. All you need is for this Yin Ghost Sect agent to pass word to her, telling her where to find the prohibition-breaking treasure. She will come on her own, take it, and break her seals.”

His voice was solemn.

“This… the risk is too great.”

Wei Tu shook his head, clearly against it.

The more complex and layered a plan was, the easier it was for something to go wrong. Compared to his original idea, Hall Master Luo’s method added several steps and raised the danger by several levels.

“This time, it’s her life at stake.”

“I trust my daughter.”

Hall Master Luo’s tone was firm.

The difference between rescuing a Nascent Soul cultivator with her strength intact and saving one crippled by seals was enormous.

In the first case, she could cooperate with them and escape.

In the second, they would have to break into the deepest halls of Yin Ghost Sect just to reach her.

So even knowing Wei Tu’s warning made sense, Hall Master Luo had no choice but to insist.

“This…”

Wei Tu hesitated, unsure how to answer.

In truth, the success or failure of the mission didn’t matter much to him. As long as he avoided the sect’s guardian formation, he could retreat safely.

But he wasn’t heartless. He genuinely hoped they could rescue Luo Mingzhen whole and unharmed.

Which meant that his words and his decision at this moment would truly affect her fate.

Yet he didn’t hesitate for long. In the end, he agreed with Hall Master Luo. Since her own father had made this choice, he, an outsider, had no need to argue further.